BY BOB MACKIN
THE BUZZ: While the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens toil separately in the Stanley Cup playoffs, soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact renew their bitter Nutrilite Canadian Championship series rivalry at Swangard Stadium Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet West).
FOES: The Impact dethroned the Whitecaps as United Soccer Leagues’ First Division champions last October, 6-3 in the two-game, total goals series. A Montreal squad populated mainly by secondstringers fell 6-1 to Toronto FC in June as the shocked Whitecaps watched their bid for the Nutrilite title disappear. Toronto needed an improbable four goal-win to enter the CONCACAF Champions League.
IMPACT: The Caps are starting their Nutrilite quest while the 2008 champion Impact were 2-0 losers last Wednesday to Toronto.
NO SEBRANGOALS: Advantage Vancouver because ex-Caps’ striker Eduardo Sebrango is suffering from a leg injury and fellow forward Roberto Brown was suspended two games because of a red card against Toronto.
DOS AND DAT: “There’s a rivalry between the two clubs because of what happened last year,” Impact coach Nick Dos Santos admitted. “We’re not well loved by the crowd in Vancouver, but once the referee blows the whistle it’s a 90-minute match.”
NOLLY LOLLY: “It’s a new tournament, it’s the first game at home,” said Caps’ goalkeeper Jay Nolly. “If you get your points at home and you pick up a couple on the road, you’ve got a really good chance of winning it.”
